Scotland becomes latest country to legalize marriage equality

The bill faced opposition from the country’s two main churches, the Scottish Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland, representatives of which have said they did not have plans to hold ceremonies. The measure allows religious groups an “opt in” to perform same-sex marriages.

The Scottish government passed the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill with a vote of 105-18, expanding on the legislation that has allowed civil partnerships since 2005.

Same-sex legislation was also passed for England and Wales in 2013 with the first weddings to take place in late March. Northern Ireland is not currently pursuing marriage equality legislation, making it the only part of the UK that hasn’t legalized gay marriage.